Book excerpt: The book begins with a description of commercial agriculture in West Africa and penetration by an agribusiness firm. The author then draws on data from a case study from Senegal to examine various impacts of the firm's intervention - gains and losses to the farmers and wage workers and detailed changes in gender and class relations which constitute a transition in class structure. The book concludes with the assertion that projects are not successful when they ignore the important role of the small farmers and their food production system